Not Just Buddy? You Mean It?

Kane, sitting in the Great Hall, had no idea what Hermione was scheming. He simply sat there, tasting this because it looked delicious, then taking a bite of that because it looked good.

A little from the left, a little from the right, and he was full after one meal.

Next, he just had to return to the common room and wait for Hermione to bring back his share of the books. Reading and studying magic were his only options for now.

As for building the Alchemy Engine...

He had no gold. And as for Harry's pathetic handful of Galleons, Hogwarts did not have Gringotts. Even if he melted all of them down, they would not make a gold lump the size of even one block.

"Forget it. There's no rush for now. At worst, when Christmas break comes, I'll go back to the Muggle World and keep performing magic tricks to beg for money." Kane said this while sitting on the common room sofa.

While Kane continued waiting, Harry and Ron came over. "Kane, we're going to ask Headmaster Dumbledore what those four words really mean. Want to come with us?"

"I'm still waiting for Hermione's books. You two go ahead. Say hello to him for me." Kane casually rejected the boring suggestion. Whenever he recalled Dumbledore's ridiculous expression back then, he felt that he had been not only stupid, but boring as well.

So he would let Harry and Ron handle this boring business themselves. Kane had already spotted Hermione entering the common room with six books in her arms.

Hermione placed three of the books before Kane. "I looked through them on the way back. They're all very detailed. Professor McGonagall's recommendations really are good."

"Mhm." Kane grunted, picked up one of the books, and began reading.

It was a book about how to precisely control one's imagination. For example, between two wizards of the same level, the one with a richer and more detailed imagination would definitely be far better at Transfiguration than the one with a poor imagination.

People with aphantasia could not use Transfiguration at all. Apparently, the Wizarding World even had a special term for them: Transfiguration Squibs.

This book taught people how to make their imaginations more vivid, their details more exquisite, and their visualization more sustainable.

If he had to compare it to something, it was like those methods in the Muggle World for training the right brain.

Frequently using one's left hand, listening to music, writing poetry, admiring scenery, and refusing to become a bookworm could all subtly improve one's Transfiguration.

Kane felt that this method of improvement barely depended on talent, because he was already that sort of person. Beyond that, there was technical knowledge about Transfiguration, such as adding ornate carvings to a needle transformed from a matchstick.

Or how to transform a table full of exquisite dishes that satisfied only the taste buds without containing a single calorie... The example even specifically noted that one had to use water or air for the transformation.

Seeing this, Kane finally gained some insight. The Summoning Charm and this technique had something in common. For instance, with the latter, one could transform air into food that was a genuine cheat meal; eating it would not add any calories at all.

The former, meanwhile, used one's own magic to transform things. The transformed raw materials were abstract, but there was no question that transforming air first was much easier than using one's own magic. That was why Professor McGonagall had included this book on the reading list.

The book was thin, and he finished it in about twenty minutes. Just as he closed it and reached for the next one, he suddenly noticed that Harry and Ron had returned at some point and were staring at him with resentful expressions.

"Um... what happened?" Kane asked instinctively as he looked at them.

"We went to see Headmaster Dumbledore, but his office was guarded by statues, so we couldn't get in." Harry said helplessly, his lips pursed.

"The older students said you need a password to enter Headmaster Dumbledore's Office. Kane, what was the password when you went last time? Maybe Headmaster Dumbledore hasn't changed it yet." Ron set his sights on Kane.

"When I went, those two statues just opened the door for me." Kane said gloomily from the sofa.

"Why?!" Harry and Ron suddenly let out shrill cries, startling Hermione, who was quietly reading nearby. She looked over at them with displeasure.

"It can't be because you're so lovable, right? Do those statues even have eyes?" Harry said helplessly.

"I think they really do have eyes." Ron chimed in, then continued his bold speculation. "Or did you never go to Dumbledore's Office at all? Were you just making it up?"

"Am I really that bored? I'd take a stroll outside just to make up a lie for an opening line to tell you two?" Kane looked helplessly at the serious-faced Harry and Ron with half-lidded eyes. The two exchanged glances, then nodded.

"How about... you take us to Dumbledore?" Harry scratched his head. He thought it was a good idea—if Dumbledore was not busy with something important right now.

"Take you there?" Kane leaned back into the sofa...

Actually, it was not impossible. Going to see Dumbledore now would not exactly be pointless. For example, he could ask him for some gold and build the Alchemy Engine.

Though Kane felt that Dumbledore would most likely not fulfill such an outrageously excessive request, there was no harm in trying.

If it failed, he would lose nothing. If it succeeded, he would make a killing!

"Then, shall we go?" Kane asked with raised brows.

"Let's go!"

The three of them hurried out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Hermione sighed helplessly. Kane's image as a privileged magical aristocrat had been deeply branded into her mind. When he went to order a wand, Ollivander had even ended up paying him... So of course he could casually go visit the headmaster at Hogwarts.

As for herself... she should keep grinding. Reading changed one's destiny.

On the eighth floor of Hogwarts, Kane and the other two walked toward Dumbledore's Office by the light of their wands' Lumos spells.

Of course, Kane was walking in front, while Harry and Ron followed behind, whispering to each other.

"I still think Kane is bluffing. Once we expose him, I'm going to use this leverage to squeeze him dry." Ron said quietly, though not quietly enough to avoid Kane hearing him.

"What are you planning to do?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, don't you think the meatballs Kane makes are delicious? So I'm going to make Kane cover my dinners for a month. You should think about what terms you want too." Ron said, tossing the matter to Harry.

Harry raised his brows. What condition could he choose?

Maybe he could make Kane take his Hu Jin back and care for it himself? Or have him return with Harry during Christmas break to apologize to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon? Harry did not want to go back either, but to keep Kane from inevitably becoming a homeless vagrant during the Hogwarts holidays...

Going back once was acceptable.

Kane looked speechlessly at the supposedly secret conversation that Harry and Ron were having without even avoiding him. "We're here. How much longer are you two planning to keep talking?"

Harry and Ron quickly came to their senses. Ron spoke first. "Oh, right. Honestly, Kane, how about we go back now? Headmaster Dumbledore is probably asleep. I'll just assume you really can get in."

Kane found Ron rather interesting. Just moments ago, Ron had been planning to make Kane prepare meatballs for him, and now he was giving Kane an out. Hmm, he was a decent fellow.

Harry, on the other hand, was different. He looked at Kane very seriously. "This is the entrance to Headmaster Dumbledore's Office, Kane. Go on."

Ron looked at Harry in shock, his expression practically saying, Wait, buddy? You mean it?

Kane did not disappoint them either. He turned back to look at the guarding statues. "Don't recognize me anymore?"

The next instant, the two guarding statues rumbled apart to either side.

Harry and Ron were even more stunned in an instant. Wait, buddy? You mean it too?